Tottenham Hotspur vs AZ Alkmaar

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium forms the backdrop for a high-stakes Europa League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and AZ Alkmaar.

Tottenham Hotspur’s season boils down to this second leg as they bid to overturn a narrow 1-0 deficit from the Netherlands and reach the quarter-finals of a major European competition for the first time since 2018/19. Spurs head into proceedings on the back of a 2-2 home draw against Bournemouth in the Premier League, extending their winless streak in all competitions to three matches (D1, L2). With pressure building on Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham can turn to their free-scoring home form for inspiration. Indeed, they’ve found the net in an all-time Europa League record 29 successive home fixtures, netting nine goals across four such contests this term. However, they’ve struggled defensively, keeping just one clean sheet in their last seven outings (home & away) across all competitions (W2, D1, L4).

On the other hand, AZ Alkmaar wasted a catalog of chances in the first leg but still maintained their phenomenal run to seven wins from their last nine competitive matches (D1, L1). Manager Maarten Martens lamented missed opportunities after the game, yet fresh legs could work in his side’s favor after the Dutch FA granted AZ a weekend off in league action. However, history is firmly against the visitors in this fixture, considering they have lost all nine previous UEFA visits to English clubs – the outright worst losing ratio in European football! One of those losses was a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham in this season’s league phase, which forms part of AZ’s dreadful ten-match winless away run in European competitions (D2, L8).